Changeling
by andrhats
Summary: The Shrine of Resurrection is breached, interrupting the Hero's healing process. A cruel plan is formed, and the only ones who can stop it are a small group of Sheikah, one of whom has a penchant for explosions and an extremely short fuse.
1. Chapter 1

**The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.**

* * *

**Changeling  
Chapter 1**

* * *

The interior of the cave was silent, the oppressive darkness only broken by hundreds of little pinpricks of light in the ceiling, gently illuminating the stone podium, on which the sealed sarcophagus rested. The lights in the ceiling pulsed slowly, in time with the being resting within the sarcophagus, blissfully unaware of the passing of time, and the world at large.

So it had been for years. Nearly a century, in fact.

For the first time since the cave had been sealed so long ago, the silence was broken. A loud crack echoed throughout the cave as the large outer door opened, time and the shifting mountain having knocked its hinges slightly askew. The sound was piercing, stone grinding against stone until the door came to a halt.

The automatic guardian system's proximity alert went off as it registered several heat signatures entering the cave, attempting to warn those on duty of the unauthorised access. The warning reached no one, and the alert was soon silenced when the heat signatures reached the secondary door, a connection opening between the system and one of the intruders.

Within the sarcophagus chamber, voices could be heard through the door. They were muffled, dampened by the multiple layers of metal and other materials they passed through. The chamber's auditory sensors picked the sounds up, reporting them to the guardian system, which was now inert. Dead. Disabled.

Another crack, and the secondary containment door slid open with a high-pitched of rusty metal hinges. The intruders did not immediately step inside the chamber, pausing for a long moment, gazing into the darkness.

"It actually worked," the leader said, holding a small, glowing device in his hand. "I can't believe it."

"Kiro wasn't lying, then," a second intruder spoke, her voice awed by their entry. "He deserves a reward."

The leader held out the device. "Scan shows nothing. Doesn't seem like the chamber has been secured with anything except the door. Sloppy. Let's get some light in here."

The chamber was flooded with light as the stars in the ceiling brightened considerably, bathing the sarcophagus in brilliant blue. It, too, lit up brightly, still pulsing in time with its occupant.

The intruders, six in all, entered the chamber and spread out, securing it systematically. It did not take long—the chamber had never been equipped with defences. It relied on its personnel for that.

"Clear," the woman said. "Nothing of interest in here, save for the obvious, and...wait. What's this? Boss, Scanner reveal anything here?" She pointed at a small section of the chamber floor, near the door, where there appeared to be some sort of protruding section.

"Hm," the leader said, letting the device do another scan, finding something of _extreme_ interest, in fact. "Hang on." He input a command.

There was a loud hiss, and a small pillar rose from the floor. It appeared to be some sort of receptacle, into which a rectangular item had been inserted. The leader recognised it immediately, his heart skipping a beat as he realised what they'd just found.

"The slate," he said breathlessly. "Grab it, quickly."

The woman did so, pulling it out of its receptable and putting it in her pack. "That's the secondary objective secured, at least," she said. "Anything else?"

"Nothing," the leader replied, turning his attention back to the podium, slowly stepping up to the sarcophagus. He gracefully hopped onto the podium, looking down at the sarcophagus. His face, like those of his fellow intruders, was hidden behind a cold, white mask. "This is all there is."

"And?" a third intruder asked, sounding impatient. "Is it him?"

"Is he alive?" the woman added.

The leader watched the screen of his device, humming quietly as he accessed the system's diagnostics, reading the text that scrolled across its screen. "It's him," he confirmed after a long, breathless moment. "And yeah, he's alive. In good shape, too, according to the readouts."

"Good," the third intruder said, chuckling. "Gives us the pleasure of finishing him off ourselves."

"Impressive, that he's been kept alive for so long," the woman said, climbing onto the podium, joining her leader. "Credit where credit's due, it's amazing engineering."

"All the more reason to finish him off," the third intruder said nastily. "Come on, let's do this."

"Patience," the leader said, accessing and reading more diagnostics before finding the sarcophagus controls. The machine was locked, the only option being the emergency purge. A warning appeared on the screen, saying something about the restoration process being incomplete, that conducting an emergency purge could result in cognitive impairment and amnesia. "Stand back, I'm opening it."

They stepped off and away from the podium, listening as a complex array of mechanical gears and other devices began to move within the sarcophagus and, seemingly, within the floor, ceiling, and walls of the chamber. Clearly, there was more to the Shrine of Resurrection than what this chamber let them see.

The sarcophagus lit up brilliantly once more, and then there was a loud pop as the seal was broken and the top half of it lifted slightly. Hot steam escaped from the opening, billowing across the floor. A few drops of blue, glowing liquid condensed and slid down the lower half of the sarcophagus. The leader stepped up to the sarcophagus and looked inside, seeing more of the glowing liquid draining away through unseen seams and cracks in the floor of the thing, slowly revealing the shape of a person.

Blonde hair, pointed ears, a slim but muscular male body covered in scars from countless battles. The boy's eyes were closed, a drop of the liquid clinging stubbornly to long lashes. Young, not even out of his teens, likely.

The description from the stories matched him perfectly, and it left little doubt in the leader's mind they had just uncovered the single greatest threat to their goal. They had succeeded where so many previous generations of their clan had failed. This was a great day; victory was finally within reach!

"He's not breathing," the leader noted. "Maybe the engineering wasn't so amazing after a—"

The boy's eyes flew open, wide and panicked, his mouth opening to take in a gasping breath. All that came was a choked gurgle, and the boy panicked, sitting up and leaning over the side of the sarcophagus, coughing and hacking as about a gallon of the healing liquid was expelled from his lungs, all over the third intruder's boots.

"What the f—"

The leader was at the boy's side in an instant, patting his back harshly, encouraging him to cough up the rest of it.

"That's it, get it all up," he said. "Good boy..."

"Boss, what the fuck?" the third said, now halfway across the chamber, shaking his feet to get the stuff off his boots.

The leader blamed it on instincts and reflexes built while taking care of the younger clan members years ago. He really couldn't explain it otherwise. This boy was the enemy. _The_ enemy, in fact. What he should have done was draw his wind cleaver sword and cut his head off and end it, but...no, instead, he was helping the boy sit back up in the sarcophagus. The boy looked miserable, soaked and shivering in the cold air of the cave, the shorts protecting his dignity doing little to keep him warm.

"Let's finish the job and get out of here," the woman said. "We'll get caught if we stay here much longer."

"Right," the leader said, letting go of the boy's shoulder and standing back, intending to finally end it, but then the boy's hand was gripping his wrist tightly, his bright, blue eyes focusing on the leader, his face twisted into confusion.

"Wh-Where am I?" he croaked, voice rough and hoarse from disuse and the violent emesis he'd just suffered. The leader tried to pull away, but the next question caught him off-guard. "Who...who are you?"

The plan formed in an instant, so quickly it had the leader wondering if he'd been considering it all along; been wondering if the possibility was there. The system _had_ warned him about amnesia. And if they could turn that to their advantage...

"I was afraid of this," the leader said gently, kneeling at the sarcophagus' side. Even on his knees, he towered over the boy. "You were so badly injured that we put you in the Shrine as a last resort. It's healed your body, but your head must still be rattled."

"Injured...?" the boy said, looking down at his body, wincing at the patchwork of scar tissue, puncture marks, and other battle wounds that covered him. "How?"

"Ambush," the woman said, catching on to what her leader was trying to do. "We were on patrol and were caught in a Sheikah trap. You were at the head of the squad and took the brunt of the attack before we managed to fight them off."

"You saved my life," the leader continued, gripping the boy's wrist. "I will never forget that—and I wasn't about to let you die. We got you to the Shrine just in time."

"Sheikah..." the boy said, his brow furrowing, clearly not remembering the name. "Who are they?"

"A stain on our honour," the leader replied, filling his voice with as much disgust as he could. It was not difficult. Just the thought of their cousins ignited a roaring fire in his chest. "A branch of our clan that turned against us, nearly wiping us out with their machines."

"Oh..."

The third intruder snorted, but hid it under a fake cough.

"What are we, then?" the boy asked.

"We are Yiga," the leader replied, reaching up to remove his mask. "The survivors of a long and proud lineage."

"Yiga...Yiga..." the boy repeated the name to himself a few times, nodding slowly. "Yes...that sounds...right." He looked up at the leader, a shaky smile slowly coming to his lips. "Do you...what is my name?"

The leader cleared his throat. "Your name is Seiran, and you're my little brother. I'm Aichi."

"I'm Reyla," the woman said, also removing her mask, smiling kindly at the newly named Seiran. "The grumpy bastard over there is Keven," she said, gesturing to the third intruder.

The remaining three intruders introduced themselves as well, catching on to Aichi's plan. Reno, Dan, and Rumi. Pretty much the best the Yiga had to offer, and the only ones who'd been trusted with the task of penetrating enemy territory so deeply, to eliminate the greatest obstacle to Lord Ganon's complete victory. The Great Plateau wasn't easy to reach in the first place, and climbing it even less so. Master Kohga had been reluctant to authorise the mission in the first place, but Aichi had convinced him.

Seiran took in their names and faces, his smile growing wider and wider, seemingly relieved to not be alone with a head empty of memories. Aichi smiled and offered his hand to Seiran.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go home."

Seiran took his hand with a bright smile.

* * *

It was a beautiful day in Kakariko. The sun had just cleared the cliffs surrounding and protecting the village, warming the small valley pleasantly. The air was filled with the gentle babbling of streams and little waterfalls, and the clucking of cuccoos and general sounds of livestock. It was another perfect, peaceful moment, filled with the laughter of playing children and pleasant conversations between friends and family.

Sheik paid it all no mind, his attention focused entirely on the piece of sparking tech in his hands, wrapped in a bundle of cloth to hide it from prying eyes as he hurried through the streets of the village, climbing the hill and taking a left near the old, inactive Shrine, heading into the woods. He had to make sure he wasn't followed, ducking into the tall grass and waiting for a few minutes, satisfied to see that no one was dogging his steps.

That was good. Meant he wasn't about to be interrupted. He continued a little way into the woods, reaching a small, isolated copse where he could work in peace. Not exactly sterile conditions, but what choice did he have, at this point?

He'd done his best to set up a workstation, at least. A wooden tray to serve as a desk, a small set of tools that no one would miss, and a waterproof box to protect whatever parts he was able to stea—er, _borrow_ from the proper labs. He always returned them in more or less the same condition he'd borrowed them.

Most of the time, at least.

It wasn't his fault many of his samples chose to explode or evaporate in unfortunate incidents.

For the most part.

He sat cross-legged on the forest floor and carefully put the bundle of cloth on the tray, unwrapping it with utmost care. The thing only sparked once, and the pain was negligible. Didn't even numb his finger. He wasn't entirely sure _what_ it was he'd managed to borrow, but it was definitely interesting. A cylinder of sorts, showing the same markings and made of the same materials as the sort you saw on Guardians, though this one appeared almost brand new, with no signs of age or wear and tear anywhere. Wires poked out from either end of the cylinder, which were the source of the sparks as the leads occasionally touched each other.

A battery of some sort, perhaps? Still carrying a charge, for certain.

Sheik smiled to himself as he opened the little toolbox and fished out a screwdriver, beginning to dismantle the cylinder. Opening it revealed a mess of wires and circuits that were not marked or labelled in any way. That was all right—Sheik enjoyed a little mystery, and the Sheikah ancestors who'd built these things were very keen on those.

Why else would they refrain from making _anything_ easy for their descendants to figure out about their tech?

A few minutes of carefully pulling the wires apart and moving the circuits yielded the power source, at least. A glowing orb in the very middle of the cylinder, to which all the wires and circuits were connected. A battery, in remarkable condition. The light of the orb seemed to dim and brighten alternatively, like a pulse, a heartbeat. It was odd, how something so clearly artificial could seem so...alive. Organic, almost.

Sheik pulled out his journal and began write down his thoughts and hypotheses, sketching out the circuits and making guesses as to what they did. He was already considering what sorts of experiments he could run with this thing. He had a host of other parts in the waterproof box, including what he suspected was one of the focuses used for the Guardian cannons. If he could power that thing up...

Well, he'd have to find somewhere to test fire it, first of all. Somewhere he wasn't liable to accidentally blow up a house or set fire to one of the farmers' crops.

Again.

No one had told him even flour can explode with a strategically timed spark!

He shook his head. No, this was not the time to think back on previous incidents. As Impa always said, one must always look to the future!

Once he figured out how to make a Guardian cannon, they'd _have_ to give him lab access again. Just imagine what he'd be capable of with proper supplies and tools!

He was so caught up in his examination and note-taking that he didn't notice a pair of red eyes watching him intently from a few feet away, nor the owner of said eyes' exaggerated throat-clearing. Only when his pencil was plucked out of his hand did he realise he was being watched, and reacted appropriately.

By definitely not yelping and accidentally touching one of the sparking leads, which absolutely did not cause him to jump two feet in the air and land in a twitching heap at the other Sheikah's feet.

"Ow," Sheik said, taking a moment to study his attacker, noting her disapproving frown and the way her arms were crossed that, despite the loose-fitting robe she was wearing, accentuated the size of her biceps. She was tapping her sandal-clad foot on the ground impatiently. He smiled up at her. "Hey, Paya."

"Sheik," Paya replied, clicking her tongue. "Why am I not surprised to find you up here? Did you steal from the labs again?"

"I didn't steal," Sheik said, slowly regaining the use of his limbs. "I _borrowed_. There's a pretty big difference, I think you'll find."

"Borrowing without permission is the same as stealing," Paya said drily.

"Semantics," Sheik replied with a snort, sitting up. His fingers were still twitching involuntarily. It was an odd sensation. Kind of funny, too, if he were completely honest. "Anyway, what're you doing here? Thought you'd be busy in the dojo right now."

"I was _supposed_ to be," his cousin said with an exasperated sigh, shaking her head. "Grandmother asked me to find you and bring you to her. There's something she wants to talk about. Presumably _that_," she said, pointing at the dissected specimen, "and how it came to be in your possession."

"Fuck, thought I'd have more time before they caught on to me," Sheik said, annoyed. "Why the hell is it always me they suspect?"

Paya rolled her ruby eyes. "Because you're the only one who steals from the labs."

"Because they won't let me _into_ the labs anymore," Sheik growled. "How the hell else am I supposed to learn about this shit? You cause _one_ explosion—"

"We're _still_ finding pieces of that Guardian in the pumpkin patches, Sheik! And everywhere else!"

"I thought a little iron in our diets was supposed to be a good thing!"

Paya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just...put that stuff away and let's go. I need to get back to training. Dorian promised me he'd teach me some advanced wind cleaver techniques today."

"I'm telling you," Sheik said as he quickly put his stuff away, locking the cylinder away in his waterproof box, "once we rediscover out how to manufacture Guardians, we'll never have to pick up a blade again. But does anyone appreciate that idea? No, of course they don't. Because Hylia forbid that we actually try to regain some of our past glory—hey, no, Paya, not the ear, ow! Ow! Ow!"

Shortly after, Sheik was sitting in Impa's house, his ear stinging, doing his best to avoid the diminutive Sheikah matriarch's glare. Honestly, the sight of his surrogate grandmother sitting on a huge mound of pillows was mostly amusing, but it wouldn't do to undermine her authority with company present.

Said company being Paya, Impa's bodyguards, and Cela. The scientist looked particularly irate, her face twitching angrily for some reason Sheik was certain he had no idea what was. He still avoided _her_ glare as well.

"Nephew," Impa said, her steely voice enough to reduce any grown man to tears. Unless they were Sheik, that is. "I'm sure you know why you're here."

"I'm afraid not, aunt," he replied, giving her his most innocent smile. "I was meditating in the forest when Paya came to fetch me. Is something the matter?"

"You know perfectly well what the matter is, Sheik," Cela hissed. "You stole one of the Guardian battery enclosures! Do you have any idea how fragile those are?! Or how rare?! That specimen was brought back just a week ago, and you have the _audacity_ to—"

"Cela, please calm down," Impa said calmly, but firmly. "Let us not devolve into a shouting match so soon." She shifted on her pillow mound and looked to her granddaughter. "Paya, did you happen to see Sheik with the battery enclosure in question?"

Paya looked hesitant, but eventually shook her head. "No, grandmother. I did not see anything resembling a battery enclosure in Sheik's possession when I fetched him."

Sheik fought down his grin. It was _technically_ true. Paya had no idea what a Guardian battery enclosure looked like (and neither had he up until earlier that day, for that matter). Paya had always been fonder of the martial aspects of the clan than the scientific ones.

Cela huffed, but another glare from Impa shut her down quickly.

"Well, then," Impa said, "I believe that tells us all we need to know, Cela. That is, unless you'd accuse both my granddaughter _and _my nephew of lying?"

Cela puffed herself up, looking ready to argue, but eventually deflated again, shaking her head. "No, master," she said bitterly.

"Excellent," Impa said, nodding. "Matter resolved. I am sure the battery enclosure will turn up again safe, sound, and _intact_." She emphasised the last word, and Sheik was glad he'd sketched the original positions of the wires and circuits. "Perhaps you simply misplaced it?"

"We do not _misplace _such important pieces of tech, master," Cela said, looking insulted. "It was most definitely taken."

"I shall have the village searched, Cela, we will find it I'm sure," Impa said, nodding. "Now, unless there was something else you wished to speak to me about?"

"No, master, that is all," Cela said, glaring at Sheik. "He is still—"she began, but Impa cut her off.

"—still forbidden from entering the labs, yes, Cela, as we agreed," the clan leader said. "He is more than aware of that, I'm sure."

"I certainly hope so," Cela said, looking a little smug. "And I don't see that changing anytime soon."

And I don't see you getting your tech back anytime soon either, Sheik thought. Miserable witch.

Maybe he'd try to blow it up, out of spite.

"Agreed," Impa said, conceding to the scientist. "Now I'm sure you have a busy afternoon of experiments to run."

The dismissal was clear, and Cela left, but not without giving Sheik a glare so cold he could swear ice crystals formed in the air between them. When she was gone, Impa frowned down at him.

"I hope for your sake, nephew, that you'll be able to put it back where you found it without being discovered," she said. "Or else I'll have Dorian drill you on stealth until you pass out."

The man in question looked positively thrilled about that, the bastard. He'd always been a strict teacher, but Impa loved to use him for discipline—er, _special training_, and he relished the role.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, aunt," Sheik said in a practiced way. "But I'm sure I will."

The elderly Sheikah looked amused at his answer, but she still heaved a heavy sigh now that they were alone, looking tired. "At some point, you will have to make peace with Cela. Especially if you ever hope to gain access to the labs again."

"I'll make peace with her once she gets pulls that stick out of her a—"

"Master!"

He was cut off as a Sheikah whose name he didn't know came bursting through the door, carrying a note. His face was red and sweaty, and he smelled of horse. He must have ridden to Kakariko just now. That's where Sheik knew him from—he was one of the scouts from Hateno.

"I have an urgent message from Doctor Purah!" Only after saying this did he seem to realise they weren't alone, looking a little embarrassed. "I apologise, I did not mean to interrupt—"

"We were just finished here, Gran, do not worry," Impa said. "What is the message?"

Gran kneeled at her side, giving her the rolled-up paper, which she unfurled and read. Her face was impassive when she'd finished, folding the note carefully and placing it in her robe's inner pocket.

"Dorian," she said. "Do we have any scouts near the Great Plateau?"

"No, master," he replied. "Not at the moment. Vyn's team will reach it sometime next month."

"That's too long," Impa said, crossing her arms and looking to Paya. "Purah has registered some strange signals and activity on the Great Plateau," she said. "This happens from time to time, but this is the first time we've detected it near there. Paya, I want you to take a team and investigate. It's likely nothing, but I want it checked just in case."

"The Great Plateau?" Paya said, eyes wide. "You mean—"

"Possibly, but hopefully not," Impa said, cutting her off. "Like I said, it's very likely nothing. Likely just a random data burst, as Purah calls them, but one can never be too sure. I can trust you with this task, can I not?"

Paya nodded firmly (and eagerly, but Sheik knew better than to point that out to her).

"Of course, grandmother. Who should I take?"

"I will leave that up to you save for two members," Impa replied. "Pikango will go with you—he knows the area well, and can offer advice or support, should you need it."

Sheik approved. It made sense to bring the old man, if only in an advisory role. Paya had wanted her own team for ages, but there was no telling if she could actually handle one until she was actually out there.

"And the other?" Paya asked.

Impa looked at Sheik, and their eyes met in a silent, never-ending moment punctuated with dread crawling down Sheik's spine.

"Your cousin," the clan leader said mercilessly. "I believe it's high time he got to see other parts of Hyrule than Necluda and Hateno. If nothing else, it'll give Cela a little time to improve her lab's security."

"What?" Sheik asked. "Why do _I_ have to go?"

"Because I'm telling you to, nephew," Impa said brightly. "You've been cooped up in these mountains for too long—it's high time for you to spread your wings, and what better way to do so than embarking on your first proper mission with Paya?"

Oh, I dunno, maybe granting me access to the labs again so I can actually do something useful, Sheik thought.

There was no point in arguing, though. Impa had already made the decision, and she rarely, if ever, budged once she'd made up her mind.

If anything, this was just a longer version of those bullshit "patrols" he was occasionally sent on with some of the younger warriors around Kakariko's immediate vicinity, which he'd heard some clan members refer to as a vacation from the explosion-causing little bugger.

Again, if someone had just taken the _time_ to explain to him why certain things reacted strongly to other things, there wouldn't be nearly as many craters dotting the village. The old mill would certainly still be standing, and they wouldn't have been forced to purchase a new millstone from Hateno.

And Sheik wouldn't have been made to help transport it from Hateno to Kakariko.

He could still feel the phantom muscle pains sometimes.

"Fine," he muttered. "But I want lab access when I get back."

"We shall see, nephew, we shall see," Impa said grandly. "Is your task understood, Paya?"

"Yes, grandmother."

"Excellent, then I shall leave you to gathering your team and packing. You leave tomorrow at dawn. If you travel efficiently, you should make it there in a few weeks. Investigate the Plateau, confirm that there is nothing wrong, and then return as soon as possible."

"Understood."

Sheik felt like he was a in daze as they left Impa's house. Paya looked positively giddy at _finally_ getting to lead a team of her own. It was almost cute, the way her steps had that extra bounce.

"You should get packing," she told Sheik. "It'll be a long trip."

"Yeah, yeah, I will," he said dismissively. "Got something I need to do first."

"Battery enclosure?"

"What's that? Never seen one."

Paya groaned. "I assume it's too much to ask that you return it before we leave?"

Sheik tried to look as innocent as he could. The technique wasn't nearly as effective as it had been when they were children, but it was still worth a shot.

"Return what, Paya-nee?" he asked sweetly.

She huffed and stomped off. "Dawn! Tomorrow!" she shouted at him. "You had better be ready and awake!"

Sheik snorted. As if he was planning on going to sleep that night. He only had so much time to examine that battery enclosure, after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.**

* * *

**Changeling  
****Chapter 2**

* * *

Everything was burning. The air sweltering and choked with dust and ash, filled with screams of fear and pain, of the dying. He couldn't move, his limbs heavy as lead, his fingers gripping the handle of a sword that refused to obey. Someone was talking to him, shouting at him, but their words were muffled and unclear, like they were speaking to him through a thick door. He was bleeding, his tattered and burned clothing spattered with red. Around lay bodies, some dressed in red, others in blue, broken and dead machines littering the field.

The voice grew louder, more urgent. The words, however, remained as unclear as before. He gritted his teeth, wishing he could make them out, or shout back at them.

It was too late. There was a loud, metallic screech and an eerie, blue light, and he looked up to see a blue, swirling, mad eye staring down at him with hatred from atop a conical head with spidery legs. The light brightened, and the air was sucked out of his lungs as the eye exploded, the beam striking him directly in the chest...

* * *

Seiran's eyes flew open, and he gasped for breath as he sat up, hands reaching for his chest, relieved to find no gaping wound, no burned flesh. Only scars, old burn marks, and dimples in the skin. All old, none recent.

A dream. Nightmare. But what was it? A memory? Something his imagination had conjured up? It had seemed so...real. The feels, the smells, the pain...

And that voice...it sounded so familiar, so...comforting. A girl's voice. He was supposed to know whose it was, but...he didn't. Had he forgotten? Or was it simply more lies conjured up by his injured head? The healers had said it could take a long time before his memories would return, if ever. An injured mind is a terrible thing indeed, and the best remedy was time.

And a little magic.

Seiran reached out to touch his forehead, his fingertip tracing the clan symbol that had been drawn there. A sigil, meant to heal and promote the recall of memories, lost or hidden. Seiran doubted it would work—it had certainly not done anything to elucidate the contents of his nightmares, nor made it easier to recall anything from the time before he'd woken up in the Shrine of Resurrection, surrounded by his family.

Family...

They were the only thing that made this ordeal bearable. They did not care that he could not remember their names or faces, or what relationship they'd had before Seiran had lost his memories. They were warm and welcoming, eager to help him remember and remind him of who they were. He was grateful to them, unable to imagine what it would've been like to wake up in the Shrine alone, with no one there to help him remember, deep in enemy territory.

The Sheikah roamed the lands surrounding the Shrine, and it had been a risk to bring Seiran to it, but they'd gone through it just for his sake.

It was a debt he could never repay, no matter what Aichi said—

"Hey, you all right?"

Speaking of...

Seiran looked up, finding Aichi standing in the doorway to their small, shared room in the hideout. A special privilege, until Seiran could remember everything, and his nightmares stopped. He'd noticed Aichi's cot was empty, but that was hardly unusual. His brother was always busy with something or other, whether he was patrolling, training the younger clan members, or meeting with Master Kohga.

He always made time for Seiran, though.

"Y-Yeah," Seiran said, wiping his face, which was wet with sweat and—even if he'd deny it—tears. "Sorry."

Aichi was at his side immediately, pulling him into a hug. "The dream again?" he asked.

Seiran nodded, enjoying the feel of Aichi's strong arms wrapped around him. Nothing made him feel safer.

Drawing back, Aichi looked at him closely, crimson eyes roaming his face. "It's okay...it'll come back to you, sooner or later. This is just your mind trying to dredge it all up. It's frightening, but they're just dreams. Once you remember, it'll all seem silly." He tapped Seiran gently on the forehead, on the symbol. "Just remember, we're all here for you. You'll always be safe with us. Stay strong, little brother."

"Always," Seiran replied, smiling.

"Now, I seem to recall a certain Yiga claiming he could beat me with one hand tied behind his back in the sparring room," Aichi said, standing up and regarding Seiran with a challenging look. "Care to prove it?"

The suggestions of training perked Seiran up immediately, and he practically jumped off his cot and followed Aichi eagerly, almost forgetting to get dressed were it not for his brother's pointed cough.

Sometime later, he was dressed in his red uniform and facing Aichi in the ring. They were not alone—several other Yiga were gathered around, watching and calling out encouragements and tips. Seiran grinned eagerly as he and Aichi clashed once more, hands and fists flying through the air, trying to catch each other off-guard and deliver a blow.

It had been difficult, getting back into the swing of things. His muscles seemed to have forgotten most of his training, but Aichi was a good teacher, patiently taking him through the movements and katas until they were, once more, almost second nature to him.

"You're a natural, Seiran," Aichi said with pride in his voice. "You always were. You've forgotten much, but you're picking it all up again so quickly. I'm so proud of you."

And so were the others, who took their time re-teaching him everything he'd forgotten. Reyla, in particular, was always eager to help him improve his aim with shuriken and other projectiles, claiming a battle could always be won from a distance, long before swords had to clash.

The only Yiga who didn't take to him was Keven, but Aichi assured him the surly man had always been that way. Seiran could easily say the feeling was mutual, though. There was something fundamental in them both that rubbed the other the wrong way, subconsciously. It resulted in the pair of them avoiding each other whenever possible.

That suited Seiran fine.

"Mistake!" Aichi shouted, suddenly standing within Seiran's reach and, in a single, elegant manoeuvre, threw Seiran over his shoulder and onto the sandy floor. The impact was dampened somewhat by the sand, but it still bloody hurt. Around them, the Yiga either whooped for Aichi or gave disappointed hisses for Seiran.

"Never take your mind off the fight," Aichi admonished, pulling Seiran to his feet. "What distracted you?"

Seiran shook his head, brushing a lock of sweaty, blonde hair out of his eyes. Aichi's silver mane was much in the same way, but he made it look good, appearing unfairly handsome despite the scar that ran from his forehead, across his left eye, and ending near his chin. He could have lost an eye from that blow, but he'd been lucky—the Sheikah's aim had been clumsy. Aichi had repaid it by taking the bastard's head off.

"Nothing," Seiran said, refusing to admit that thinking fondly of his family had distracted him so thoroughly. Aichi saw right through him, though, giving him a cheeky grin.

"You've a soft heart, little brother," he said with a laugh. "A good quality, but you ought to harden it when fighting. A split-second may be the difference between life and death. I'd rather not have to drag you to the Shrine again. It's a beautiful and scenic route, but I don't think my own heart could take it."

"Just imagine you're fighting a Sheikah," Reyla offered from the side-line. "That's what I do. Makes it doubly satisfying whenever I smash Reno's stupid face in."

"Oi, you want to tussle, Rey?" Reno asked from the other side of the ring, scowling. "I'll take you, right here and now."

"That eager for another thrashing, Ren?" Reyla said, rolling her shoulders. "I suppose I can take a minute to show Seiran how it's done."

Aichi put a hand on Seiran's shoulder and carefully guided him out of the ring, both knowing that getting between the pair of them was a bad idea. Half the clan assumed they were getting it on with each other whenever they were alone, but Seiran didn't see how that could be—they hated each other, didn't they?

It certainly seemed that way—neither held their punches, and the full body-lock Reyla put Reno in looked like it _hurt_. Seiran could have sworn he heard Reno's bones _cracking_. The way he kept trying to gouge out her eyes, too, certainly didn't seem to suggest there was any love lost between them.

"You'll understand when you're a little older," Aichi had said, rubbing Seiran's head with his knuckles, refusing to heed his brother's begging for mercy.

The sparring session continued for another two hours, each Yiga getting some time in the ring with Seiran, giving him a broad set of opponents to fight. Seiran got his suspicions confirmed when Reyla put him in a body-lock as well—it really fucking _hurt_!

By the end of the session, they were all tired, but this was just the start of a long day of training. Aichi wiped himself off and gave Seiran a smile.

"Right, I have to go speak to Master Kohga. Sei, I leave you in Reyla's capable hands."

"I'm thinking we'll work with senbon today," the woman in question said, sidling up to Seiran, leaning against him. "By the time I'm done with you, you'll be able to nail someone's eyeball like it's nothing."

Honestly, the thought of that made Seiran a little squeamish, but Reyla looked so eager he could do little but nod. "Thank you," he said.

"Think nothing of it, little brother," she said, ruffling his hair. "Come on, to the range!"

"Reyla, wait," Seiran said, looking to the cave entrance, where Aichi had already disappeared. "I need to ask Aichi something."

She paused, confused, but nodded. "Okay, I'll see at the range, then. Don't think this counts as training time, though. I get you all to myself for two whole hours, don't forget."

The sadistic edge to her smile sent shivers down Seiran's spine, and nearly made him shudder. She took far too much pleasure in the role of being his teacher. But she was good at it. At first, Seiran hadn't been able to throw a shuriken straight, but now he could almost reliably curve the bladed projectiles around obstacles to hit his target.

Almost.

The time he'd nearly taken Keven's eye out by accident was still fresh in his memory.

In Keven's too, apparently, judging by the way he deliberately avoided the target range whenever Seiran was being taught.

"It'd be an improvement, honestly," Reyla had said, laughing. "Keven's too pretty. Needs a scar or two to look as rugged and tough as he claims to be."

Exactly what was _pretty_ about Keven wasn't obvious to Seiran, but he'd take her word for it.

Seiran caught up to Aichi just as the latter was about to turn down the stony corridor that led to Master Kohga's chambers.

So far, Seiran had only met Master Kohga twice in the months he'd been here. The first time had been when they'd gotten back from the Shrine of Resurrection. Kohga had seemed surprised at Seiran's injury and memory loss, but had accepted it after Aichi had taken him aside and explained the events. The second time had been some weeks after, when Kohga had put the sigil on Seiran's forehead, assuring him it would help his mind heal faster, and encourage the recovery of his memories.

Other than that, the clan's leader kept his distance from Seiran. Aichi assured him that was normal, that he did so with everyone. Master Kohga was a busy man, with a lot on his mind. The Sheikah was an ever-present threat, and he had to make sure the whole clan, not just Seiran, were doing well. Couldn't play favourites. Seiran understood that—he appreciated Kohga taking time to help him with the sigil, even.

"Ai!" he called, which paused his brother in his tracks.

"Sei," Aichi said, looking confused. "Something the matter?"

"N-No," Seiran said. "Well, not really?"

"That's...good?" his brother frowned. "You're supposed to be with Reyla, though."

Seiran hesitated. It'd been on his mind since day one, but he hadn't asked out of...well, fear of being rejected, he supposed. It was probably something he'd asked before, too, and he didn't want to be even more redundant with his questions.

"Where am I from?"

His mouth made the decision for him, speaking without his permission.

Aichi blinked. "What do you—"

"I know I'm not like the rest of you," he pressed on. "I'm not...you know. My eyes are blue, not red. My hair...so...where am I from? How did I end up here?"

Aichi sighed, leaning against the cave wall. "I'd honestly hoped the question wouldn't come up again. The last time you asked I nearly had a heart attack."

"Heart attack? Why?"

His brother chuckled. "Because I was worried you'd be angry when I told you. I mean, I knew you'd noticed you look different, but...well, I'd hoped that it wouldn't bother you. You're still one of us, after all."

"But...?" Seiran said.

Aichi sighed again. "You're a Hylian, obviously."

Obviously. Seiran had figured that out on his own. His skin was lighter than the others', his hair a golden blonde instead of bright silver, and his eyes were a deep blue instead of the dark red of his family's. There were only so many options.

"And as for where you're from," Aichi continued, "well...we're not entirely sure. They found you on a scouting mission in enemy territory. Alone, surrounded by the burning wreckage of a trade caravan. It'd been ambushed, by Sheikah, we think, and everyone else had been slaughtered. They must have missed you, or left you to the elements as a last, pointless cruelty, we don't know. The squad buried the bodies but had no idea where to start trying to find out where you came from. In the end, you were brought back here. You couldn't have been more than two or three years old, and were placed in my crèche. That's how we met." Aichi stepped forward, patting Seiran's head. "And we haven't been apart since then," he finished, smiling. "You may not have been born a Yiga, but you're definitely one of us." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I really need to get to Master Kohga. We can talk more about this later, if you want?"

"I'd like that, Ai," Seiran said, nodding. He wasn't sure what he'd expected when he'd asked the question, but this was...more tragic than he'd hoped. It didn't leave him feeling as devastated as such a story should have. Then again, maybe his mind recognised the story as one he'd heard before, which dampened the impact.

It was further proof of what he already knew, though: that the Sheikah was pure evil. A treasonous branch of the Yiga clan, they had conspired with the Hylian royal family to wrest control of the Guardians and other machines away from the Yiga, and then turned on the Hylians, unleashing the machines to destroy Hyrule. The Yiga had been fighting them for years, but the traitors remained firmly in control of most of the northern half of Hyrule, the Yiga's numbers slowly dwindling.

So many had died...

"Then I'm all yours after supper," Aichi said, bringing Seiran out of his thoughts. "Oh, and I'll talk to Master Kohga about sending you on a proper patrol soon," he added. "I know you're feeling cooped up inside the hideout. A little fresh air will do you good, I think."

That's exactly what Seiran had wanted to hear. The hideout was probably the safest place in all of Hyrule, but if he had to spend one more week inside it without being able to see the sky, he was going to scream. He couldn't help but grin widely, which Aichi answered with one of his own.

"Now bugger off, you little shit, so I can get started on the boring stuff," Aichi said.

"See you, Ai!"

* * *

Aichi watched Seiran bouncing along the corridor, so excited at the prospect of leaving the hideout for just a little while, almost like a kid. Aichi couldn't blame him. The caves, despite the size of some of the chambers, could be awfully claustrophobic at times, especially if you couldn't take a few minutes of the day to just appreciate the open sky.

Shaking his head, he continued along the corridor to the door at the end, where a pair of Yiga elites stood guard. They nodded in greeting and let him inside.

Master Kohga was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the large chamber, his face hidden by his mask. Unlike the other Yiga, he never took his off. No one knew why. Reyla suspected it was because he had some horrible battle scars or other facial disfigurements that he did not wish anyone else to see. Aichi wasn't so sure. A lifetime of communing with Lord Ganon and using his magic surely did not come without a price, and he was starting to wonder if maybe Kohga was hiding something else behind his mask.

Not that it mattered, truly. Kohga had never steered the clan wrong, and Aichi would follow the man to the ends of the earth if need be. Though now, with Seiran settling into his place among them, that wouldn't be necessary. Because what could possibly threaten them, now that Hylia's Chosen was on their side?

It took a moment for Kohga to acknowledge him, his attention focused entirely on the device in his hands. The Sheikah Slate. A technological marvel, if the tales were true, and far more advanced than the scanners and other terminal devices Kiro and the other Yiga tinkerers had been able to cobble together with tech they'd stolen from all over Hyrule.

"Master," Aichi said, drawing Kohga's attention to himself. "Still no luck?"

Kohga gave an annoyed grunt, shifting his considerable bulk. "Much as it pains me, I must give credit to our cousins. They have secured this device impressively. It appears that only certain users are allowed to unlock the slate and access its functions."

"Certain users?" Aichi said, joining his master on the floor, sinking into the cross-legged position with—a traitorous voice informed him—a lot more grace than Kohga had.

"Indeed," Koha said. "And I suspect we have one of them with us."

Aichi nodded. The Sheikah had left the Slate with the Hero, after all. It made sense that he was one of the designated users.

"I believe young Seiran would have a lot more luck accessing this device than I or anyone else in the clan," Kohga continued, sighing and putting the device aside. "A pity we can never risk him using it."

A pity indeed, Aichi agreed. There was no telling what would happen if Seiran activated the Slate and accidentally remembered something. Remembered who he really was.

"The seal appears to be working," Aichi said. "The voice in his dreams have grown fainter, he says. Less clear. Indistinguishable words. At this rate, we may be able to block it out entirely."

"Lord Ganon's magic is truly an awesome thing," Kohga said, drawing the clan symbol on the sandy floor. "I shall pray for him to grant me more of it, to make the seal stronger. If we can block out the princess' voice entirely, he will be ours."

"What a glorious day that will be," Aichi said.

"Imagine the triumph," Kohga replied, chuckling. "Hylia's Chosen, fighting for Lord Ganon. What better way to break the Sheikah's morale than turning their greatest hope against them? Once they are dealt with, there'll be nothing to stop Lord Ganon conquering Hyrule, or the rest of the world. A century of work, finally finished." Kohga leaned back, sighing. "And we can finally reap the rewards of our victory...but, that is not for some time yet. You have already spoken of Seiran's seal—how goes his training?"

"It is progressing quickly," Aichi said. "He is definitely trained warrior—his muscle memory is perfect, and very pliable. He's learned much already. By the end of the year, he'll fight like he's been one of us since birth. Reyla says his aim is impressive as well, though perhaps better suited for a bow than hand-thrown projectiles."

"Makes sense," Kohga muttered. "Best not risk it, however. Anything that could remind him of his previous life is something to be avoided."

"Agreed," Aichi said, nodding. "In light of his successful training, I have a request to make."

"And that is?"

"I would like to take him out on my next patrol."

Kohga took a moment to consider it. "Risky," he said. "What if you lose control of him?"

"I won't," Aichi said firmly. "He trusts me—even if he should suddenly remember something, I'll be able to mitigate it, keep him reined in. He's feeling cooped up in here, and I think letting him outside, just for a little bit, will help. The less he feels like a prisoner, the better. He's family, after all."

Kohga chuckled. "Hm, you're confident, Aichi. I've always liked that about you. Very well, let's give Seiran his first real mission. An easy one, to a less-trafficked spot. To ease him back into the swing of things."

Aichi nodded gratefully. "Thank you, master. Your trust means everything to me."

"You will keep him on a tight leash, however," Kohga said warningly. "If you encounter the enemy, and if there's a risk he might fall into their hands...you know what to do, right?"

Aichi swallowed. "Of course. Finish the job."

"Exactly."

* * *

"Son of a bitch!"

Sheik most certainly _did not_ shriek like a girl when his foot slipped and nearly sent him spilling off the side of the Great Plateau's cliff wall, the only thing preventing him from doing so behind the hand that immediately clamped around his wrist, stabilising his weight.

Another hand came grabbed his ankle and propped his foot against the closest protruding bit of wall.

"Sheik, are you okay?" Paya asked, holding his wrist. The lower half of her face was covered by her mask, but her wide eyes showed her worry clear as day. "Hold on!"

"I'm good, I'm good," Sheik growled, finding his footing and grip again. "Just slipped. You can let go now."

Paya did so. "Be careful," she said. "You fall here—"

"And I'll splatter like a melon at the bottom, I know," he replied. Honestly, he was more worried about the battery enclosure in his pack. He glanced down, still seeing a hand on his foot. "You can let go now, old man," he said.

Pikango shook his head, the ridiculous pineapple-shaped hair of his bouncing in the strong winds that threatened to throw them all off the Plateau's side. "Ain't letting go till you start climbing again, kid."

"I can't _start_ climbing until you let go!"

Not that he minded the pause. Every muscle in his body was burning from the exertion of climbing the massive cliff wall of the Great Plateau. It wasn't enough for just a few of them to climb the thing; no, _everyone_ had to have a go apparently.

"Oh for—just start moving, one of you!" Eda called from even further down, her voice barely carrying over the wind. "Keep this pace up and we'll all by Pikango's age when we reach the top!"

The older Sheikah reluctantly let go, but he kept his hand up, as if he was ready to grab Sheik again the moment he wavered. It was annoying. Sheik had gone through the exact same training as everyone else here, and while he'd never attain the speed and precision with which Paya climbed—like a squirrel, almost—he was damn well just as competent!

It took them the better part of an hour of constant climbing to reach the top of the Plateau, and it was a group of five exhausted Sheikah that hauled themselves over the edge, panting from the exertion. The sixth was still annoyingly energetic, her mouth moving at a million miles per hour as she went through the plan they'd laid for the reconnaissance.

Sheik could only watch Paya with envy and no small amount of horror, wondering where she got her endless stamina from. She was already running circles around most of the trainers in the village, able to keep sparring for hours long after everyone else had given up.

"...and that's the old Temple of Time," she said, crouching next to Pikango, who had to take a knee and recover from the climb. She pointed first at the map in her hand, and then at a crumbling stone structure in the distance. "The taller mountain is Mount Hylia, meaning _that_ peak must be the one housing the Shrine, before the River of the Dead. What do you think?"

"Sounds...good to me..." Pikango said, taking deep breaths. "Let's just...have a...break first..."

"I'll scout ahead," Paya said, folding the map and giving it to Pikango. "Make sure there's no unpleasant surprises waiting for us."

"Impa told us...to stick together," Sheik said. He could only lie flat on his back and point his finger at her accusingly, though, as his legs had seemingly ceased to exist, his wrists cramping unpleasantly.

"I'll be fine," Paya said, shaking her head. "I won't go far."

Before Sheik could protest again, she took off running, heading south-west towards the rising peaks in the distance.

"Girl's going to get herself killed," Eda said, rising shakily to her feet and following Paya at a slower pace. "I'll go with her. You guys catch your breaths."

The group groaned as one and ceased their half-hearted attempts to follow Paya, grateful for the reprieve. Sheik remained where he was, waiting for his legs to return to life. He wasn't allowed to rest for long, Pikango suddenly appearing above him.

"Up you get," he said. "Gotta keep moving or your limbs'll stiffen up like tree branches."

Sheik glared up at him. "And what if I want them to do just that?"

"Then we'll leave you up here," Kiwano said, his sword drawn and his watchful eyes scanning treeline nearby. "And report you as a tragic loss."

"That'd make Cela's day, that's for sure," Moya added as she went through her pack, pulling out a glass bottle filled with some sort of tincture, which she tossed to Pikango. "Here, drink this. It'll give you some energy and stave off the muscle pain for a while."

Pikango uncorked the bottle and took a draught, then handed the bottle to Sheik, who took a drink himself, grimacing at the taste. Sweet and bitter at the same time, like all of Moya's other concoctions. At least her potions worked, and Sheik could already feel the strength returning to his legs, the exhaustion lifting a little. Pikango pulled him to his feet, and Sheik handed the potion to Kiwano, who turned it down with a shake of his head.

"Save it for Eda," he said. "Cramps'll be hitting her pretty hard by now."

"All right," Pikango said, "the longer we stay separated, the more vulnerable we are. Let's catch up to Paya before she decides to climb Mount Hylia for the hell of it."

"That does sound like something she'd do," Sheik said. "Better stop her before she does."

They caught up to Paya and Eda at the crumbling remains of the Temple of Time. Once an impressive building, a site of worship that drew visitors from all of Hyrule to it, it was now a shadow of its former self. Pure, white stone had withered and yellowed, cracks invaded by plant life, further breaking the stones apart. The stained-glass windows were broken, the metal rusted. Grass grew out of cracks in the tiled floor of the small chapel at the bottom of the stairs, which were falling apart and slowly getting covered in moss.

"Anything?" Pikango asked.

"Nothing to report," Eda said. "There were a few bokoblins lounging on the stairs, but the sight of Paya running towards them at full speed scared them off."

Sheik didn't blame them. Any living creature with a sense of self-preservation would get scared seeing the shape of Paya, whose silhouette could best be described as formidable, charging at them. It was an instinct Sheik had developed growing up with her; facing her in the sparring ring was something he considered a punishment at this point.

The Sheikah in question was looking at the remains of the temple, her eyes full of awe. "I've always wanted to see this place," she said. "Imagine what it looked like in its prime."

"A big building full of stupid, religious iconography," Sheik said. "Big whoop. I'd rather see one of our labs from back then. To see what we once had."

"Pleasant as this sight-seeing is," Eda said. "Maybe we should get back on mission?" She looked to Pikango for confirmation, but the older man simply shook his head.

"I'm not team lead," he said for the umpteenth time since they'd left Kakariko two weeks before. "Paya is. Look to her for orders, not me."

Paya cleared her throat, looking embarrassed. "S-Sorry," she said. "Got distracted. Eda, you're right, yes, let us continue." She pointed towards the closest, lowest peak. A dirt path led up towards it. "Shrine should be up there. Let's inspect it."

"Can't imagine we'll find anything, to be honest," Moya said as they began to climb the hill. "Shrine's remained untouched and inactive for a century at this point—does anyone other than us even know it's here?"

"Not as far as we know," Paya said. "Which is why it's important that we confirm that it _was_ just a random data burst, instead of something else."

Sheik snorted. "Even if someone managed to climb the Plateau and accidentally stumble upon the shrine, how the hell would they open it? Specs say it can only be opened from the inside unless you have a slate, and even _we_ don't have one of those."

"Precisely," Pikango said, nodding. "Which means...?"

The realisation struck the group all at once, and they paused.

"You don't think...?" Kiwano said, trailing off.

Pikango held their attention for a long moment before laughing. "Of course not," he said. "What're the chances? We have no idea how the Shrine works, or even if it can accomplish what we hope it can. For all we know it's just a very well-hidden tomb."

Sheik groaned. Even _his_ excitement had been briefly roused by the idea of the legendary Hero of Hyrule finally waking up. "Damn it, old man!" he spat.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it," Pikango said, laughing. "My team leader said the exact same thing on my first mission here, and his before that. Kind of traditional, at this point."

"Bastard," Moya huffed under her breath. The others didn't look amused either, including Paya.

"Please don't toy with the squad's morale, Pikango," she requested curtly.

"My apologies, boss," Pikango said, saluting sharply. "Won't happen again."

"Oooh, someone got told," Eda said, giggling.

"Enough, all of you," Paya said sharply. "Back into formation, now. We're on a mission, for Hylia's sake!"

The group fell into formation, with Paya and Pikango in the lead, Sheik and Moya in the middle, and Kiwano and Eda in the rear. They remained quiet as they walked through the small wood, eventually emerging on a cliff side leading up to the peak of the mountain. There appeared to be a natural cave there, the opening large enough for four or five to walk abreast.

"That it?" Sheik asked, not impressed at all. Sure, the overlook giving a fantastic view of Hyrule was nice and all, but was _this_ really where the most important thing the Sheikah had ever built lay?

"That's it," Pikango confirmed. "You sound disappointed, young Sheik. Not what you expected?"

"I expected something more than just a hole in the wall, yeah," Sheik replied. "This is supposed to be the biggest scientific achievement we ever managed? Why would we build in the middle of nowhere?"

Kiwano gave an annoyed huff. "This is why you never do well in stealth training."

"Shut the fuck up, Ki!"

The older Sheikah just laughed. Oh, if Sheik was just a little taller, he'd kick the guy's ass...

"Now now, children, let us not fight amongst ourselves," Pikango said. "It does not look like much, true, but that is very much the point, Sheik. What good is laying our trump card against evil bare for anyone to see? The enemy would never think to look for the Shrine of Resurrection in a _cave_, would they? Especially not a cave where we do not patrol regularly. In fact, you could say that we—"

"Hide in plain sight," Sheik repeated dully. "Yes, thank you, I've heard that phrase enough to last me a lifetime."

They reached the cave entrance, and the overlook. It was truly a spectacular view. One could see all the way to Death Mountain from here, its peak belching a pillar of smoke that could be seen almost everywhere in Hyrule. And there was Hyrule Castle and the castle town, essentially a no-man's land, swarming with Ganon's minions and still-active Guardians, still under the Calamity's control.

"Ah, I've forgotten how magnificent this view truly is," Pikango said, striding past the cave entrance and pausing at the edge of the cliff. "Inspiring. If only I had my paints...Ah, I suppose a sketch will have to do." He waved at them and began to fiddle with his pack. "You youngsters have a look inside the cave. You'll see why no one's uncovered our secret for nearly a century."

The _youngsters_ all exchanged exasperated looks, humouring the old man and turning towards the cave, the darkness deep enough to swallow every bit of light. Even though he did not expect to find anything of interest, Sheik still felt a bit of trepidation as they stepped inside, their eyes quickly adjusting to the dark.

Uneventful mission or not, this was still the Hero of Hyrule's resting place—whether it was his final one or not, only time would tell.

There was something wrong. Paya froze up first, her entire form going rigid. Sheik was about to ask her what was wrong when he saw it himself.

"There...there's supposed to be a wall," she said hesitantly. "Just within the entrance. Just...just a wall."

Instead, what they'd found was a gaping maw of a tunnel leading further into the cave, the walls too smooth to be natural. There were lights at the end of the tunnel. Blinking lights.

"Oh shit!" Sheik exclaimed.

"Pikango!"

* * *

"We are so fucked," Sheik muttered, glaring down at the empty sarcophagus. "The Hero's woken up, and we _missed_ it. Nearly a century of waiting, and he decides to spring out of bed the moment we take our eyes off it!"

Sheik bet he'd done it on purpose, too, out of spite!

Paya looked close to exploding, her face red like a tomato. Out of rage or embarrassment was anyone's guess.

Pikango and the others were examining the cave outside the chamber, leaving her and Sheik alone to examine the sarcophagus. It alone was a technical marvel, and Sheik would've been happy to spend weeks (maybe even months) studying it. Hell, the entire chamber itself was something worthy of close examination, with its strange designs on the walls and the lights. There was machinery all around them, hidden by the floor, ceiling, and walls. Even now though they churned away at whatever it was they did.

Sheik had already filled several pages of his journal with observations and questions, many of which revolved around what powered the damn thing. Something this big must have a _huge_ power source, but the ancient Sheikah had never seen fit to write it down.

Or maybe they had, and the Sheikah of today had just not discovered it yet.

Eugh, so many questions, so few answers.

He'd be enjoying this a lot more if it weren't for the fact that they were in the middle of the biggest fucking disaster since the Calamity began nearly a century ago.

The Hero of Hyrule was gone. Disappeared. And they had no idea where he'd fucked off to.

"What do we do?" Paya asked, wandering aimlessly around the chamber. "What do we tell Impa? Do we even look for him?"

"Uh, and where would we even start?" Sheik asked. "We've no idea where he'd want to go. Might as well pick a compass direction and just follow it, and then where will we be?"

"I don't know!" Paya exclaimed angrily. "But we need to do _something_, or Impa will never trust us with anything ever again!"

Sheik blinked. "You think the old bag will blame _us_ for this? Please, if she'd thought there was even the slightest chance of the Hero waking up, she'd have sent someone else. Someone with more experience."

Paya pulled down her mask, biting her lip. "Y-Yes, I know that, but...I still feel responsible, somehow."

"Well, you can always blame me," Sheik said. "I mean, everyone else does that already, so what's one more?"

The others filed into the chamber, faces grave. Pikango, in particular, looked pale. "Well," he said, "we can rule out the Hero having woken up on his own. There are a bunch of footprints in the dust. Several sets, of different sizes. Boot prints. No blood or signs of fighting, either."

"So, no monsters," Kiwano said, sword drawn and at the ready, as if expecting to be attacked any moment "And the Hero didn't fight back. Incapacitated, probably."

"The prints aren't recent," Eda said, kneeling down and brushing her finger against the chamber floor, rolling the dirt between her thumb and forefinger. "This place has been open for a while. A few months, at least."

"Months?!" Paya exclaimed. "How did we not notice?!"

Pikango shrugged. "Purah's equipment is primitive at best, and her sensors far from powerful enough to pick up on everything. If anything, we should be grateful she picked up the random burst at all, otherwise we'd be none the wiser."

Moya hummed, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "So, he was forcefully woken up...but not by us. Then, by who? Hylians?"

Kiwano snorted. "Hylians, my ass. You ever seen a Hylian capable of stringing more than two words together, let alone have the skill and sheer guts to climb the Plateau? I swear, some of them look like they could _roll _along the ground instead of walk on it."

"That's enough, Ki," Eda said. "But you're right—Hylians wouldn't have any reason to climb up here, unless they _knew_ the Hero was here. But _we_ are the only ones who do, right?" She looked to Pikango for confirmation.

"Correct—we did not trust anyone else with the information," he said, nodding. "Which, in addition to the boot prints, rules out any of the other races as well."

"Well," Sheik said, "they _could_ have been made by exceptionally small-footed Zora. In fact, some of the studies suggest that...that..." he trailed off, noticing the stares. "That this information is not relevant whatsoever," he finished.

"So," Moya said. "The only logical conclusion is..."

"The Yiga," Paya spat, an ugly grimace twisting her face. "The traitors!"

Sheik growled. Of course it had to be them. Who else would have the audacity? First, they betray their clan, their family, and then the world by joining forces with the Calamity. And now they had taken the one hope they had left to defeat Ganon once and for all.

"We need to report this," Eda said. "Right away. If the Yiga have the Hero, there's no telling what they'll do."

"Why, though?" Sheik asked, realising something. "If the Hero of Hyrule is the greatest threat to their master's plans, why didn't they just open the Shrine and kill him? Why bother _taking_ him? That doesn't make sense, unless they need him for something."

"They took the Slate, too," Kiwano pointed out. "What would they need that for?"

"A Slate is necessary for interfacing with the Divine Beasts and the Sheikah Network," Sheik said, opening his journal flipping the pages until he found the correct one. The research into these things had been painstaking. "If the Yiga wanted to maintain or lock down their control of the Beasts, acquiring the Slate would be the first step towards that."

"But why would the Hero be necessary?" Paya asked.

"Who knows?" Sheik said. "It's the Yiga; they're all fucking insane. No one understands their motives. Maybe they think the Hero is the only one who can use the Slate or something. Would make sense; slates could be locked to single, individual users, according to some of our records."

"Hm, so for now we can assume the Hero is in Yiga hands, and will remain so until he is no longer of use to them, after which they'll most likely kill him, dooming Hyrule and the world." Pikango's face was intense as he looked at the group. "We cannot allow this to happen."

"All the more reason to report back," Eda repeated. "We need to get the others—everyone—and get the Hero back, before they kill him."

"It'll take days, maybe longer to reach the nearest Sheikah patrol, even if we knew their exact location," Pikango said. "We need to start looking immediately, before it's too late." He paused, eyes widening. "But that is up to our team leader," he said, looking to Paya. "What do you want to do?"

Paya froze under the scrutiny as every single eye in the chamber fell on her, waiting for orders. Sheik felt sorry for her. She'd expected a (mostly) routine patrol, not the biggest disaster since the Calamity. He didn't envy her the decision she had to make either. Head home with their tails between their legs, or...?

"We split up," she said. "Two of us will head back north, find the nearest patrol—or go back to Kakariko, if need be—and alert the rest of the clan. For now, we assume that the Hero is in Yiga hands, and in Yiga territory. He has to be rescued."

"And the rest of us?" Kiwano asked.

"We'll begin looking for him," Paya replied. "We'll scout out Yiga territory. We find their hideout, confirm the Hero's location, and we wait for reinforcements."

"Risky," Pikango said. "We don't know area nearly as well as the rest of Hyrule."

"All the more reason to scout ahead," Paya said. "So we don't lead the clan into an ambush."

Pikango sighed. "Well, can't argue with that logic. Would be nice to leave the desert without having lost half the clan. All right—who's going back?"

"You are," Paya said immediately, surprising them all. "Impa trusts you fully and will not require any explanation for the mobilisation. If I only send back one of us, there will be questions. Questions we won't have the time to answer. The Hero has already been in their hands for months, we don't know how much longer he'll last."

Pikango looked doubtful, but nodded nonetheless. "I guess," he said reluctantly. "I don't like it, but you're right. Impa will be more inclined to take my warnings seriously. All right, who's going with me?"

Paya looked over the group again. Sheik nodded to her. It was fine. He was fine with being sent back, even if this was turning into something a lot more interesting than a glorified camping trip. It was too bad, unknown territory might mean undiscovered caches of tech. Maybe even active Guardians. Well, he might find one of those on the way back, he supposed...

"Eda," Paya said, surprising not only Sheik, but everyone else as well.

"Eda?" Kiwano asked.

"Me?" the Sheikah in question asked. "Why?"

"I need fighters," Paya said. "Out of the five of us," she said, indicating the younger members of the group, "you did the worst in the last evaluation. If we're caught, we might need to fight our way out, and I need to be confident in everyone's abilities, if that is the case. I'm sorry, Eda—"

"No, no, I understand," Eda said, looking anything but understanding. "I get it. I do. No telling what this one might do unattended, right?" she said, pointing at Sheik.

"Fucking pardon?" Sheik said, glaring at her. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Granted, he and Eda had never gotten along very well, but he'd expected a bit more professionalism from her than this. They had managed to keep matters civil so far, after all. Sure, his relationship with the other Sheikah mostly bordered on antagonistic, but they were all allies in the end, right?

"You know perfectly well what it means, Sheik," she replied. "The only reason you're here in the first place is that no one can stand you in the village. They all wanted you away! Makes sense Paya wants to give everyone a longer break!"

"Fuck you!" Sheik lunged at her, but Paya held him back.

"Sheik!"

"That's enough, both of you!" Pikango barked. "Eda, go outside and cool down. Moya, go with her."

"I only said what everyone's thinking," Eda insisted.

"Outside," Pikango repeated harshly. "Now!"

Paya held Sheik in place until they were certain Eda and Moya were gone, at which point she made him turn around to face her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "You know that's not true, right? I want you with me because I trust you, and—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said, shrugging out of her hold. "Eda's always had it in for me."

"We're all a little tense right now," Pikango said, glaring at Kiwano when he snickered. "Sheik, what she said isn't true. Now, I'm not happy about sending you into enemy territory, but that goes for all of you. Which is why I promise to return with reinforcements as quickly as I can."

"And you?" Sheik said, looking to Kiwano. "What do you think?"

Kiwano shrugged. "Here, there, I don't care. Just don't get in my way, and we'll be fine."

Which summed up Kiwano in a nutshell, really.

* * *

The sun had set by the time they emerged from the Shrine, plunging the land into darkness. Climbing down the Plateau, even with their night vision, was akin to suicide, so they set up some ways into the small wood near the lookout point. Pikango grumbled about it ruining his sketching opportunities, but there _were_ bokoblins roaming the Plateau, and there was no need to invite hostilities by prancing about in the open.

("I do _not_ prance, Sheik, I _glide_! Like a graceful swan!")

Eda set up her and Moya's tent as far away from Sheik and Paya's as possible, the tension between her and Sheik still palpable. It wasn't Sheik's fault she kept acting like that—if she couldn't take a few comments of her own, such as the implication that Nedu had turned her down a few weeks ago due to her complete and utter lack of attractive qualities, how was he to blame?

They'd had a quick supper, set up a guard rotation, and spent the rest of their waking time planning their route. It was agreed that Paya's group would head east, aiming for the canyon leading into the Gerudo Desert. It wasn't far, and they could set up a permanent scout camp in the hills, out of sight. From there, they'd search for signs of the enemy and their headquarters. If they did not find any signs, they'd retreat to the just outside the canyon and wait for reinforcements.

With the planning done, they went about getting as much sleep as they could. Sheik was on first watch, and he took the opportunity to look through his journal, writing down notes and sketching the Shrine from memory, wishing Paya had allowed him to get one last look at the place. No such luck, though.

"You're getting good at this," Pikango said, sitting down next to him at the fire. "Almost like you've been taught by the best," he preened.

"Yeah," Sheik agreed. "Uro is a good teacher."

He immensely enjoyed the affronted and hurt look on his old teacher's face.

"Uro? As in, _I can't draw circles without turning them into ovals_ Uro? _I turn every triangle into a rhombus_ Uro? _I can't draw anatomy for shit so I turn everyone into stick figures _Uro?" Pikango sighed, hanging his head. "Sheik, you wound this old man."

"You can take it, o ancient one," Sheik said, grinning and shoving his journal into the man's hands. "How's it look?"

"Quite accurate, I'd say," Pikango said, looking at the sketch of the chamber first, and then the detailed one of the sarcophagus. "Impressive notes, too. Cela has no idea what talent she's wasting by denying you lab access."

"Thank you," Sheik said, feeling vindicated.

"Then again," Pikango said, eyes shining in the firelight, "stealing specimens isn't exactly the right way to _gaining_ said access either."

"She was denying me access long before I started stealing her shit," Sheik said with a sniff. "It's practically a game at this point."

"One I'm sure she's _delighted_ to take part in." Pikango handed him back his journal and poked at the fire a bit with his knife. "Are you ready for this?" he asked quietly.

"Probably?" Sheik said, shrugging. "I don't know. Don't have much of a choice, though."

"It's not too late," Pikango said. "I can talk to Paya, ask her to take Eda instead. There's no shame in retreating if you don't feel you can handle it—"

"Oh, I can handle it, old man," Sheik said, gritting his teeth. "I just don't want to steal all the glory from Paya-nee." Why did everyone always underestimate him, like he was the village fuck-up? He was just as good as everyone else—hell, he was _better_. And he'd fucking show them and Eda just what he could do. He'd make Cela _eat_ her damn words, take over her fucking lab, even! "Don't ever doubt that."

"Oh, I don't," Pikango assured him, reaching up into his mass of hair and withdrawing a pencil, brand new. "Here, I'm guessing you'll find more interesting things to study along the way. Charcoal's good and all, but nothing beats a proper pencil."

Sheik took it. "You sure?" he asked. "What about sketching on the way home?"

He chuckled quietly. "Oh, I don't imagine I'll have much time to draw until this is all over, between trying to find one of our patrols and wrangling Eda. It'll take some time to get the entire clan moving, but I assure you that as soon as Impa knows what's going on, I'll be coming after you."

"Good to know an old man is coming to our aid, truly," Sheik said, snorting when Pikango gave him a mock glare and bumping his shoulder with his.

"Watch it, kiddo, or I'll let Dorian know it was you who stole his reading light."

"What is with you old people and threatening me with Dorian?" Sheik asked. "Besides, he wasn't even _using_ it. At the time."

"And when you returned it, it didn't really work, did it?"

"I learned a valuable lesson about circuitry, though," Sheik said with a sniff. "Find me a working one and I can fix Dorian's."

"Or maybe we'll just give the working one to Dorian?"

"Too simple."

Pikango laughed again, patting his shoulder. "Oh, never change, kid. You're far too amusing as you are. Anyway, I'm up next. Go to sleep."

"I still have half an hour—"

"And I'm an old man who doesn't need nearly as much sleep as you," Pikango interrupted. "Off to bed, or I'll spank you."

"Hmph, fine, but not because I'm afraid of you."

"Sure, sure."

Crawling inside the tent he shared with Paya, he found his cousin awake, wide eyes staring up at the fabric.

"Nervous?" Sheik asked.

"No," Paya said. "Afraid."

"Afraid?"

"That we won't find him," she said, turning to face him. "That we'll be too late if we do. What if he's already dead, and has been this entire time? What if this is just a waste of time, and we're about to lead the entire clan to their deaths? What if—"

"Hey, Paya-nee, enough," Sheik said, shushing her. "If the Hero was already dead, don't you think we'd know? Do you really think the fucking _Yiga_, bastards that they are, wouldn't be parading his corpse all over Hyrule, rubbing it in our faces, if they'd killed him? Nah, he's alive, and we'll find him. I'm sure of it. And there's no point wondering about the what ifs. We haven't even _started_ looking, for Hylia's sake."

Paya mulled it over, eventually nodding. "I suppose you're right. I just...this was my first mission as team lead, and it ended up like this..."

"Pretty sure any other team lead would've been a panicking, blubbering mess by now," Sheik drawled. "You're holding it pretty well together, all things considered. And hell, you've got me by your side. I may not be the best fighter, but if you need something blown the fuck up, I'm your guy."

Paya snorted. "That why you brought the battery enclosure?"

Sheik faked his innocence once more. "I have no idea what you're talking about. What's a battery enclosure?"

Paya laughed.

And to Sheik, right then, it was music in his ears.


End file.
